Western State Hospital, a fancy resort-style asylum called Western State Lunatic Asylum in its early years, was originally built in the 1820s. In 1905 it was taken over by Dr. Joseph Dejarnette, under whose authority patients were tortured. When the hospital moved in the 1970s the building became the Staunton Correctional Center, and in the 2000s, The Villages at Staunton condominiums. Before the change to condos, the building stood vacant for several years. Witnesses reported footsteps, moans, whispers, screams, and doors opening and closing on their own.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 1301 Richmond Ave
Staunton, VA
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 38.13121610159136, -79.04499578449759
- Nearest Towns:
- Staunton, VA (1.9 mi.)
Jolivue, VA (2.1 mi.)
Fishersville, VA (4.7 mi.)
Verona, VA (5.3 mi.)
Stuarts Draft, VA (7.0 mi.)
New Hope, VA (8.9 mi.)
Lyndhurst, VA (8.9 mi.)
Churchville, VA (9.1 mi.)
Waynesboro, VA (9.5 mi.)
Mount Sidney, VA (9.9 mi.)
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The DeJarnette Center and Western State are two different places. The original Western State is located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Greenville Ave and is condos. DeJarnette Center remains abandoned and visible from I-81. The Western State Hospital most recently moved out of a location off of Frontier Drive to the North of US 250 and into a brand new (ugly) facility further north on the same road.
Dejarnete building was never a prison or condo. There is a separate western state building in downtown Staunton a few miles from there that was converted to the prison and condominiums. They have since built a brand new western state facility on the edge of Staunton outside the city limits that you can see on the interstate. Dejarnete was condemned after shut down for asbestos and other factors.
There are a couple doors that look like they could be open, but I was too scared to go in alone. There’s a little building in the back that you might be able to go into, but I felt really negative energy coming from there. Also, I heard a door shut and someone walking when I look throught a broken window. It’s definitely not haunted by an evil spirit, it just seems to feel sad. Like, a lot of pain went down in the building. Makes sense considering the backstory. The graffiti is funny too lmao
I agree with you, not an evil spirit, rather a sad one filled with pain. There was a lot of pain that came through those front doors. And I know because I was a patient there a few times in the early 90’s dealing with manic depression, ptsd, anxiety, and substance abuse. People seem to forget that things are not always as they appear.
I have a relative who was hospitalized and died at WSH in the 1940’s in Staunton, VA according to her death certificate. A little terrifying after researching the hospital.
I have been here and heard some of the screened in porch metal moving and there was no wind…this was around dusk. After a tour of the building several times, I was dissapointed to have not had an encounter. I tried!
Let me recant and state that I heard the metal moving at the original Western State Hospital, not the hospital pictured. This hospital is NOT the original, but more of an upscale getaway type of hospital tailored more towards higher class patients, later more for adolescents.
This is the newer Western State, of the two old hospitals. DeJarnette was in the original Western State where they did start to build condiminiums recently, and there was a prison here in one of the buildings. This picture is of the second hospital which stayed open until the 1980’s, not the original hospital. This hospital picture is near the Frontier Culture Museum.
This video IS NOT THE DEJARNETTE CENTER! The Video is of WESTERN STATE HOSPITAL, LOCATED ACROSS FROM WRIGHT’S DAIRY RITE IN STAUNTON VA. STOP getting these 2 places mixed up.
The building across from Wright’s is the old prison turned into condos. Western State is in another location across from the Sheetz intersection just down from the new Hospital. Dejarnet is over near the Walmart. I work at both Western State and where they moved the Dejarnet patients, now called the Commonwealth Center for children and Adolescents.
Before it was the prison it was Western State ….
This is NOT DEJARNETTE! It is the old Western State hospital on Greenville Ave.
so rude!
I have researched both locations, after my son explored the DeJarnette building while working in town. This is what he captured!
I have researched both locations after my son explored the DeJarnette building while working in town. This is what he captured…this is real and really haunted!